


Lost Grub

by Jennalyn



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Stabdads AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-20
Updated: 2012-03-20
Packaged: 2017-11-02 06:03:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/365745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jennalyn/pseuds/Jennalyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If there was one thing Hearts Boxcars could always count on, it was the mind-control magic of Troll Walt Disney.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost Grub

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lucky_spike](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucky_spike/gifts).



If there was one thing Hearts Boxcars could always count on, it was the mind-control magic of Troll Walt Disney. All it took was the cheesy instrumental opening to Pupa Pan and the Lost Grubs for a bad day at school to become a fairy tale adventure. Sometimes you worried about that shit rotting the kid's brain. Then you saw the gap-toothed grin and said fuck it all, you'd take the rot over misery any day.

"Want some more popcorn?" you bellowed into the other room, rummaging around the pantry for something more substantial than puffed air to fill your stomach. Maybe some... canned peas? The container received the look of disgust it deserved. You really needed to go grocery shopping. How old were these things anyway? Had anybody eaten them since Tavros was a baby? Did they even expire?

Another minute passed and you realized you hadn't heard anything back from the other room. Pulling yourself away from the increasingly disappointing food situation, you peeked around the corner and watched as a little troll "flew" around the living room, arms flapping and growing horns a safety hazard. Not like the couch could get much worse after years of your butt and the kid's head combined. You needed a new piece of furniture too. But who the hell had time to shop for anything with a kid and a career?

Once the song finished, he flung himself onto the couch with all the abandon of a boneless three-sweep-old and continued to watch the magic unfold. You grunted in pleasure and resumed your search.

You eventually returned with a plate of chicken and a bowl of popcorn. The face that greeted you looked suddenly grave.

Aw hell. This was his favorite movie. What could be serious about flying grubs? School must have been pretty bad today. Probably Snowman's brat again, the one with the mouth. You turned down the volume and fell into the couch to listen. It groaned in protest. You ignored it out of habit and ate some chicken.

Tavros seemed to wait until you took a particularly big bite to start. "Dad?"

Of course. You choked it down and grimaced. "Yeah?"

"How come, uh, I don't have, a lusus? Like most trolls?"

The face staring up at you was sincere and a little worried. You scowled hard without meaning to and had to tone it down when he started looking even more uneasy. "Troll kids pickin' on you at school again, Tav?" He looked unhappy and noded, so you reached out a hand and pawed at his head comfortingly. "You remember what I told you about those guys? You just don't listen to 'em, right? That blood color stuff's not worth yer time. It's all a load of bull."

He nodded again. "Yeah, uh. I know. You said that. Well I uh, thought about it. Dad, why don't I, um, have a lusus? Really?"

That face. Who'd have thought that face could toy with your heart worse than any dame ever did? You ground your teeth a little and thought.

The kids had never asked about that before. Yours hadn't, anyway, and you figured Deuce would'a talked if Sollux had started down that road. Probably called up and asked. Damn.

Your eyes were caught briefly by the flying white bird-monster on the screen, fluttering over a tree of wriggling troll kids. Pupa Pan convinced it to come to their island and be their lusus, since none of 'em had one. You knew the story by heart and could probably repeat just as many lines as your son, if not more.

Everything suddenly clicked into place.

"Cause yer one 'a the lost grubs, Tavros. An' lost grubs don't have a lusus. Sure thought you'd of picked up on that one by now."

"...huh?!" The startled gape on round childish features bolstered your confidence in the story. You grinned, showing off rows of dangerous teeth, and continued.

"A'course! Why you think you an' yer friends ain't like normal trolls? It's cause we had to go an' find you. Y'know how Slick's always yellin' at Karkat how we found you kids in a dumpster? Well, you know the story. Where'd that pupa kid come from? That little bull-thing found him abandoned an' just carted him back to its island."

Droog might disapprove of him filling the kid's head with stories, but life was hard enough. No sense in him shoving it down the boy's face too early. Not when he could live someplace where magic was real and the sky was the limit.

You put on a slightly apologetic face, not easy when you were so pleased with your sudden stroke of brilliance. "Sorry I ain't no tiny bull, Tav, but not all the grubs ended up on the island. Some of 'em had to make do with parents instead. There just wasn't enough magic to go around. I sure hope yer not gonna hold that against us."

For all that you were half expecting it, the sudden brawl-hug to the gut made you wince. Those things were starting to get sharp. You wrapped the kid in one arm and gave him a squeeze instead. Muffled words tried to make themselves heard in your shirt and you made out a "thanks Dad".

That was good enough for you.

Your name was Hearts Boxcars and you were starting to get the hang of this "Dad" thing.


End file.
